Moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets

ABSTRACT

The moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets is provided with a sheet of waterproof material sewn to a secondary material that is sewn to the outer surface of two side portions of the garment to form pockets for holding valued items. The side portions overlap the pockets to form flaps. Securing strips are sewn to the flaps for opening and closing the pockets. The pockets are waterproof to protect the valued items from moisture. A layer of absorbing material is sewn along the side seams and across the lower reverse front portion of the garment. The absorbing material is used for drying the face and hands of the user. Apertures are sewn in the bottom of the garment and are adapted to receive a drawstring that extends out of the apertures. The drawstring is linked by a plastic stopper clamp that is used to tighten the garment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/286,730 filed Nov. 5, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to athletic clothing and more particularly to a fitness garment having waterproof pockets and an absorbent inner lining sewn into the fabric of the garment.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] An increasing number of people are taking part in physical exercise activities today. Many people enjoy exercising both indoors and outdoors, but have a problem keeping their valuable personal items, such as keys, wallets, cellular phones and money, safe while exercising. Exercise facilities often provide lockers and lock boxes that are used to store valuable items. It is common for items to be left behind or stolen when kept in these places. Also, when people are exercising outside they commonly place their valued items on the ground or even in the hands of a trusted friend, only to have the items stolen or misplaced. Another problem encountered when exercising is having to carry a towel to wipe sweat from your face and hands while exercising. During some exercising where it is necessary to grip bars or weights with your hands you must leave your towel on the floor, which may result in getting the towel dirty or misplaced.

[0006] Devices have been created that incorporate clothing meeting some of the problems mentioned above. Examples of this type of clothing are disclosed in the following patent documents.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,722 issued on Jul. 20, 1943 to Papierniak, S. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,042 issued on Jul. 31, 1990 to DeWan, T. E. each disclose garments that are made of a flexible material and are provided with a pouch for storing the garment when not in use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,500 issued to Naumovski V. discloses a sport shirt with a plurality of pouches that may be folded to create a different design for the shirt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,256 issued on Mar. 17, 1998 to Rudman, F., U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,044 issued on Feb. 24, 1998 to Robinson, J., U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,536 issued on Nov. 10, 1998 to Kramer, G. W., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,505 issued on Aug. 4, 1998 to Piwko et al. each disclose fitness garments with ventilation or cooling systems for removing moisture from the body of the wearer.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,792 issued on Aug. 21, 1979 to Ito, M., U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,141 issued on Dec. 31, 2002 to Egnew, J. C., U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,717 issued on Sep. 4, 2001 to Ng, A. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,854 issued on Nov. 15, 1977 to Phelps, Sr., J. H. disclose garments equipped with drawstrings for tightening the garment against the body of the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,236 issued on Sep. 6, 1988 to Klob, T. A. discloses sportswear with a towel that is detachably secured to the garment. The towel may be removed from the garment to dry the hands and face of the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,032 issued on Jun. 6, 1995 to Murphy, E. D., U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,441 issued on Mar. 9, 1999 to Busker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,697 issued on Jan. 14, 1997 to Young K. R., U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,392 issued on Oct. 26, 1993 to Stanislaw, T. E., U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,916 issued on Mar. 11, 1997 to Aumann, H., and U.S. Pat. No. 1,574,077 issued on Feb. 23, 1926 to Frantz E. disclose waterproof protective pocket sytems that may be secured to an article of clothing.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,900 issued on Dec. 31, 1991 to Chittenden, M. W., U.S. Design Pat. No. 437,673 issued on Feb. 20, 2001 to DesJardins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,152 issued on May 29, 2001 to Gootrad, K., U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,904 issued on May 6, 1997 to Kline, K. A., U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,410 issued on Feb. 11, 2003 to Underhill, A. K., U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,538 issued on Apr. 2, 2002 to Davis, L., U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,815 issued on Jun. 7, 1955 to Nelson, E. L., U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,706 issued on Oct. 3, 1989 to Ketcham et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,978 issued on Jan. 20, 1998 to Johnsrud, A. C., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,336 issued on Nov. 6, 2001 to Gootrad, K. each disclose garments containing protective compartments or pockets disposed on the garments.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,440 issued on Aug. 5, 1986 to Hale, J. M., U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,360 issued on May 14, 1991 to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,901 issued on Dec. 31, 1991 to Vollrath, V. J., U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,156 issued on Mar. 23, 1965 to Dale et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,060 issued on Feb. 25, 1992 to Gates, V. G. each disclose fitness garments with perspiration absorbing layers disposed somewhere on the garment. Gates, V. G., and Smith et al. disclose sports shirts with perspiration absorbing elements disposed on their sleeves. Dale et al. discloses a sport shirt with absorbing layers disposed on the front torso area of the shirt. Vollrath, V. J., discloses an athletic shirt with a layer of highly absorbent material disposed along the neck of the shirt. Finally, Hale, J. M., discloses a sport jersey with perspiration absorbing layers disposed on the cuffs of its sleeves.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,129 issued on Sep. 17, 1985 to Murakami, H. discloses a sports undershirt. The undershirt is made from a highly absorbent material that absorbs sweat from the wearers body during physical activity. The undershirt prohibits the wearer's body from being covered in sweat.

[0012] What does not exist in the market place is a one-piece garment that serves the purposes of having the wearer conveniently carry their valuables in water proof pockets, while having the capability of drying their face or hands and tightly securing the items to their person while exercising. What is needed in the industry is a one-piece garment that is fashionable, practical and provides the wearers with security for their valued items.

[0013] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a convenient, waterproof, pocketed t-shirt with terrycloth inner lining and adjustable drawstring solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention discloses a moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets for protectively securing valued items while the wearer of the garment is engaged in physical fitness activities. The moisture absorbing garment comprises a shirt, a plurality of pockets, a moisture absorbent layer and a drawstring. The moisture absorbent layer is provided for drying the hands and face of the wearer of the garment.

[0015] The shirt further comprises an exterior surface, an interior surface, a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion and side portions. The shirt is preferably a conventional T-shirt having sleeves and a hemmed neck. The moisture absorbing garment however, may be made using any type of fitness shirt. The shirt may be made from any soft material including but not limited to cotton, mesh nylon and spandex. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are made from 100% mesh nylon.

[0016] The plurality of pockets are waterproof pockets that protectively secure valued items while the wearer of the garment is exercising. The pockets are waterproof to protect the items from moisture damage. Each of the pockets are stitched to one of the sides of the shirt. If the shirt has side seams on its exterior than the pockets are disposed over the seams. Each of the pockets comprises an exterior layer that is made from the same material as the shirt and an interior waterproof layer that is sewn to the exterior layer of the pocket. A flap is disposed on the top of each of the pockets and is adapted to pivot from a closed position to an open position to allow and seal off access to the interior of the pocket. A plurality of adhesive strips are secured to the flap and to the exterior layer of the pocket for releasably securing the flaps in the closed position.

[0017] The absorbent layer is disposed along the bottom of the interior surface of the shirt. The absorbent layer is sewn to the interior surface along the side seams and is also stitched horizontally across the bottom portion of the shirt. The absorbing layer is made from a terry cloth cotton material and is used for drying the face and hands of the wearer during physical activity. The built in absorbent layer allows the wearer to dry sweat without having to carry a towel.

[0018] The moisture absorbent garment further includes a hem stitched around the entire bottom portion of the shirt. A plurality of apertures are disposed on the hem on the front portion of the shirt. Drawstrings are located inside of the hem and extends out of the front apertures. The drawstrings are linked to one another by a stopper clamp. The stopper clamp tightens the drawstrings which in turn tightens the bottom portion of the shirt.

[0019] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a moisture absorbing fitness garment that provides a number of protective pockets for securely carrying valued items while the wearer of the garment is involved in physical fitness activites.

[0020] It is another object of the invention to provide a moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets that provides a sweat absorbing device for conveniently drying the wearers face and hands without having to carry a towel.

[0021] It is a further object of the invention to provide a moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets that is made from a soft material that is comfortable to the wearer of the garment.

[0022] It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

[0023] These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024]FIG. 1 is a front elevated view of a moisture absorbing fitness garment with protective pockets according to the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 2 is a rear elevated view of the garment.

[0026]FIG. 3 is a side-elevated view of the garment.

[0027]FIG. 4 is a reverse view of the garment depicting the interior surface of the garment.

[0028]FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view depicting a protective pocket.

[0029] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The present invention is a moisture absorbing fitness garment providing protective pockets for securely holding valued items while exercising. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention the garment is shown as a T-shirt, but is not limited in this manner, and the invention may be embodied in any other type of garment, including but not limited to tank tops, sleeve-less shirts and jump suits. The garment comprises a T-shirt having an interior moisture absorbing layer, a drawstring and a plurality of protective pockets.

[0031]FIG. 1 depicts a front view of the moisture absorbing, protective garment. The garment comprises a T-shirt 2, having a conventional design, including a torso section 4, shortened sleeves 6 extending from the shoulders of the torso section 4 and a hemmed rib nit V-neck opening 8. The garment further comprises a plurality of pockets 12 disposed along the exterior torso portion 4, an absorbing layer 22 disposed along the bottom interior surface of the T-shirt 2 and a drawstring 36.

[0032] The plurality of pockets 12 are preferably affixed to the side portions of the T-shirt 2. As shown in the side view of the garment depicted in FIG. 3 the pockets are disposed over the side seams 10 of the torso portion 4. It is noted however, that not all fitness garments include side seams 10. Where the garment does not provide side seams 10 the pockets 12 are disposed in the center of the side portion of the T-shirt 2. The exterior layer of the pocket 12 is made from the same material as the T-shirt 2. The protective pockets 12 are sewn to the side of the T-shirt 2. FIG. 4 depicts a reverse view of the T-shirt 2 displaying the interior surface 20 of the T-shirt 2. The stitching 42 of the pockets 12 are shown detailing the manner in which the pockets 12 are affixed to the garment.

[0033] The pockets 12 are adapted to receive and contain valued items, such as cellular phones, wallets, jewelry and keys, while the wearer of the garment is exercising. The pockets 12 are waterproof to protect the items from moisture. The pockets 12 are lined with a waterproof layer 14 that is sewn into the pocket 12. A flap 16 is disposed on the top of each of the plurality of pockets 12. The flaps 16 are adapted to be pivoted from an open to a closed position to gain or seal off access to the pocket 12. FIG. 5 depicts an enlarged view of a pocket 12 with the flap 16 in an open position. A plurality of adhesive strips 18 are secured to the flap 16 and the exterior of the pockets 12 for releasably securing the flaps 16 in a closed position. The adhesive strips 18 are preferably Velcro strips but any appropriate adhesive material may be used.

[0034]FIG. 4 depicts the absorbing layer 22 affixed to the front lower portion of the interior surface 20 of the T-shirt 2. The absorbing layer 22 is sewn to the interior side seams 24 and also stitched horizontally across the T-shirt 2 by seams 26 and 28. The absorbing layer 22 is affixed to the bottom portion of the T-shirt 2 so that the wearers of the garment may use the absorbing layer 22 to dry sweat from their hands and face.

[0035]FIG. 1 shows a hem 32 that is sewn along the bottom portion 30 of the garment. FIG. 2 depicts a rear view of the T-shirt 2 showing the back surface 40 of the torso section 4. The rear view of FIG. 2 shows that the bottom hem 32 encircles the entire circumference of the bottom portion 30 of the T-shirt 2. A pair of apertures 34 are sewn in the front center of the hem 32. The drawstring 36 is housed in the hem and extends through the entire hem 32 around the entire bottom portion 30 of the T-shirt 2. The drawstrings 36 are allowed to move freely inside of the hem 32. Each end of the drawstrings 36 extends out of each of the apertures 34 and are connected by a stopper clamp 38. The stopper clamp 38 is used to tighten the drawstrings 36 which in turn tightens the T-shirt 2.

[0036] The overall size of the garment will vary depending on the size of the wearer. According to certain preferred embodiments of the garment, the T-shirt 2 is 100% mesh nylon and the pockets 12 are mesh nylon with a 50% rubber 50% stretch waterproof nylon lining 14 affixed. The absorbing layer 22 is preferably made from 100% terry cloth cotton material. The drawstring 36 is preferably 100% polyester with the stopper clamp 38 being 100% plastic with a metal spring built inside of it. The above materials are selected based on the possibility of contact with other fitness participants. The soft material is less likely to hurt the wearer of the garment during physical activity. Other materials, however, may also be used, including but not limited to cotton, nylon and spandex.

[0037] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A moisture absorbing garment for holding valued items while exercising, comprising: a shirt having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion and side portions; a plurality of waterproof pockets disposed along the exterior surface of said shirt; an absorbent layer disposed along the bottom portion of the interior surface of said shirt; a hem stitched around the entire bottom portion of said shirt; a plurality of apertures defined in the hem on the front portion of said shirt; and a drawstring disposed inside of said hem, the drawstring having ends extending from the apertures and having a stopper clamp connecting the ends of the drawstring.
 2. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of pockets are stitched to the side portions of said shirt.
 3. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 2, wherein said shirt has a side seam connecting the front portion and the rear portion, said pockets being disposed over the side seam.
 4. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1 wherein said pockets further comprise: an exterior layer made from a material identical to a material from which said shirt is made; an interior waterproof layer sewn on an interior defined by the pocket, including an interior face of said exterior layer; a flap disposed on each of said pockets, said flap being pivotable from an open position to a closed position in order to allow and seal off access to said pockets; and a plurality of adhesive strips secured to said flap and said exterior layer for releasably securing said flaps in the closed position.
 5. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1, wherein said moisture absorbing layer is sewn to the interior surface of said shirt along side seams on the interior surface and is also stitched horizontally across the bottom portion of said shirt.
 6. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1, wherein said shirt is made from a material selected from the group consisting of mesh nylon, cotton and spandex.
 7. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 6, wherein said shirt is made from 100% mesh nylon.
 8. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 4, wherein said interior waterproof layer is 50% rubber and 50% stretch waterproof nylon.
 9. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1 wherein said absorbing layer is 100% terry cloth cotton.
 10. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1 wherein said drawstrings are 100% polyester.
 11. The moisture absorbing garment according to claim 1, wherein said stopping clamp is 100% plastic with a metal spring built inside. 